Cause will make terrifying skydive worth it - NHS boss

An NHS manager says she is "terrified" at the prospect of doing a skydive, but the good cause will make it worth it.

Jane Whichello, head of volunteering at the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, will be raising money for new community response vehicles, which enable volunteers to get to patients more quickly.

She will be completing a 3,500ft (4,115m) tandem jump in Netheravon, Salisbury, on Wednesday.

Zoe Larter, head of the South Western Ambulance Charity, said the team was “so proud” of Ms Whichello.

She called the Wiltshire dive an “incredible way to jump start” the campaign, which is aiming to raise a total of £210,000 for seven community response vehicles.

Ms Whichello will be doing the skydive with fellow paramedic and operations officer, Ed Bowyer.

Ms Larter said the vehicles would “introduce a new way for community first responders to support their front-line colleagues in the ambulance service and the communities they serve”.

Community first responders are volunteers who support a region’s ambulance service by responding to 999 calls and delivering emergency care.

Last financial year, community first responders across the south-west of England answered to more than 20,600 calls and frequently arrived on the scene before ambulances did.

The South Western Ambulance Charity, which runs the fundraiser, received its first six community response vehicles in June 2023 and is now looking to expand the fleet due to their success.

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